Broken Circle
by Aelia O'Hession
Summary: The small town of Salem, MA has been torn asunder by a strange crime. It is a crime that puzzles the BAU team to the point of insanity. Could the new consultant provide a new view to the case, even while demons of the past come to haunt all?
1. Enter

**Broken Circle**

**By: Aelia O'Hession**

**Disclaimer: **This is a work of fanfiction. I am merely borrowing the genius of another for my own sordid needs. Therefore, I own nothing dealing with Criminal Minds.

**Chapter 1: Enter**

A bright emerald green Toyota Matrix pulls into the driveway of the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. The windows are rolled down, allowing the light breeze to filter through the cabin. It is a brilliant spring day in April; the cherry blossoms are in full fervor and the land is green and lush. This sort of environment evokes a sense of nostalgia for the driver of the car. It is a landscape that this driver has not seen in many years. Indeed, the mere fact that the license plate of the car says Louisiana suggests this.

The driver, a young woman in her middle twenties, pulls into a visitor parking space and cuts the engine. When she opens the door, the first thing that emerges are her feet, shod in delicate stiletto heels in black. From her feet, long white legs disappear underneath the hem of her knee-length overcoat. She emerges, adjusting her sunglasses and giving her mane of vibrant flame red waves of hair a shake for good measure. With confidence and authority, her heels click on the pavement as she walks towards the front door.

Inside, she goes through the customary security checkpoint with little hindrance. With an air of normalcy and calm, despite the bustling environment of the FBI, she walks over to the front desk, stiletto heels still clicking on the marble floor.

"Hello, can I help you?" a desk attendant, about the same age as our young woman, asks.

"I have a meeting with the Director," the flame haired woman says in a rich alto voice.

"If you could just sign in, I'll get you a visitor's pass." The attendant thrusts a sign-in book underneath the visitor's nose, and a pen follows.

_Brialyn O'Connor _is the name which the woman signs in a curving font.

The desk attendant, her blonde curls bouncing on her head, looks down at the sigh-in book. "Are you here for an interview Miss O'Connor?"

Brialyn peers at the attendant through her sunglasses. "I am here on business," is her simple, curt reply.

Instead of deterring the bubbly attendant, her words pique the young bubblehead's curiosity. "Oh! How mysterious." She walks around from behind the desk and hands the visitor's pass to Brialyn. "I'm Emily, but call me Emmy." She thrusts a hand which contains fingernails painted in a painfully fluorescent pink. "I'll be taking you to the Director's office. Follow me."

Behind the sunglasses, Brialyn rolls her eyes at Emmy. Why, out of all the people in the FBI, did she have to be stuck with Suzy Sunshine? Picking up her leather briefcase from the floor, she follows the annoying ray of sunshine, heels nearly clicking her annoyance at her guide.


	2. Unusual

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 2: Unusual**

Emmy leads Brialyn through the complex network of hallways and staircases that comprised the fortress like FBI headquarters at Quantico. Little Miss Suzy Sunshine kept up a constant rant of useless chatter, and Brialyn could feel the pressure of a massive headache in the near future. On their way to the Director's office, they passed the BAU bullpen where, on one wall, were pictures of the team displayed.

Emmy points the pictures out by saying brightly, "That's the BAU team and this is their bullpen. They're a weird bunch though; keep to themselves mostly." She shrugs before continuing and resuming her mindless chatter; the subject matter focusing on the latest fashion trends. As she followed, the click of Brialyn's heels became louder, signaling complete annoyance.

"Well, here you are," Emmy says in the middle of her ramblings. "Mr. Jonathan Caswell, Chief Director of the FBI at Quantico." She proudly points to the door. "Best of luck!" The little ray of sunshine then has the audacity to step forward and hug Brialyn as a good luck token. Brialyn stands awkwardly, refusing to return the gesture.

Once Emmy leaves her in blessed peace and quiet, Brialyn smoothes the wrinkles out of her overcoat and runs her fingers through her long mane of fire red hair, attempting to tame it. Once satisfied that she still looked presentable, she rapped politely on the door and waited for admittance.

The door opens to reveal a man in his middle years, and Brialyn estimated him to be about forty. Slightly grey, he presents a professional, yet laidback, attitude. "Ms. O'Connor, I believe?" He offers a hand in greeting.

Brialyn placed her milk white hand in his tan one and shook it confidently. "I am. Thank you for giving me this opportunity." Her answer is genuine; landing this job is the best thing that could happen to her at this juncture in life.

"Come inside, we'll be more at ease to discuss matters in there." His office was a standard issue governmental office. Plaque and certificates lined the walls and occupied shelf space. On one bookcase, however, were some Sherlock Holmes novels and pictures of his family. Two teenage boys grinned lopsidedly up at their father while dressed in soccer gear. "Coffee?" Mr. Caswell asks.

"No, thank you. But I would take tea if you have any."

Mr. Caswell smiled. "Just like my wife. Earl Grey or Green?"

"Green, please." Mr. Caswell presses a steaming cup into Brialyn's hand while motioning for her to take a seat. She eases into the leather chair, taking care not to spill her tea.

"Now, shall we get down to the dirty business?" he asks with a chuckle. He opens a file from his desk and begins to flip through the pages. "I must admit, Ms. O'Connor, that I have never seen someone with such an unusual resume." Momentarily, Brialyn blanches in panic. "In spite of this, your unique qualification is exactly what I think we need right now. My BAU team has been stumped by a particular case for weeks now. They need a fresh pair of eyes to help them look for something…different."

Brialyn notes his careful use of words. "You believe that my expertise can help them in this matter?" She carefully sips her steaming tea while observing the director across the rim of her mug.

"I do believe so. By reading your resume here, I understand that you have quite an unusual background. It should definitely spice a few things up around the BAU." His tone became more serious as he got to one of the main points of the meeting. "Now, allow me to make something clear. You are not being signed on as an agent. This is a consultation position only. Once you are finished here, you may return to civilian life hassle free." He pauses for a moment before adding, "Unless what you experience here is something of interest to you."

Brialyn's painted mouth turns up into a sly smile. "I only wish to help where I can. I have no intention on making a career out of this little exercise."

Mr. Caswell coughs nervously. There is something about this young woman that is unsettling. She seems almost too comfortable. Her concise manner of speaking is quite unnerving as well. "Right then." He pulls a contract from the back of the file entitled "Brialyn O'Connor." "I just need you to sign a few things, then we'll pay a quick visit to security to get you clearance."

Half an hour later, after a visit to security to get clearance and receive her badge, all paperwork was signed and notarized, officially signing Brialyn on. Mr. Caswell turns to her before heading back to his office and asks a question. "Later this afternoon, I'll have you meet the BAU team. How can I get in touch with you?"

Brialyn adjusts her briefcase. "I was actually planning on paying my sister a surprise visit. Just call her." Her piece said, she began to walk down the hall.

"Who's your sister?" Mr. Caswell calls after her.

"Reread my file!" Brialyn calls over her shoulder.

Mr. Caswell just sighs. "Good thing that Hotch and Gideon have to deal with her and not me," he mutters before the elevator doors close in front of his face.


	3. Reunion

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 3: Reunion**

Garcia walked back to her office, whistling the last song she had heard on the radio while driving into work. It had been stuck in her head ever since she received a 4:00 AM wake up call from Hotch saying that she had to come in. She was none too pleased about this arrangement, and armed herself with some rather strong coffee. As she neared her office, she heard the faint strains of jazz music emanating from her office. _This will not do. Nobody plays in MY office while I'm away._ Garcia sets a stern look on her face as she closes the distance to her office door. She flings open the door, fully prepared to bite the head off whoever is messing with her babies.

Upon seeing a pair of stiletto heels propped up on her computer desk she snaps, "Who the hell are you?"

The heels come down from the desk to click lightly on the floor. The chair spins about and its occupant says, "Is that any way to greet your baby sister?"

The coffee in Garcia's hand drops to the floor, splashing everywhere and leaves a rather large stain on Garcia's skirt. "RIA!" She dashes forward to embrace her little sister. "What are you doing here?"

Ria gives her sister a look, eyebrow gracefully arched, holding Garcia at arms length. "Before I answer that question, we have a tradition that must be upheld."

"Jeez, how could I forget?" Garcia slaps a hand to her forehead. The two sisters then proceed to perform their secret handshake which involves kissing both cheeks and bumping both hips. "Now speak!" Garcia commands once the beloved childhood ritual is upheld.

Ria casually leans against the desk as Garcia situates herself in the swivel chair. After slipping her sunglasses into her briefcase, Ria begins her explanation. "I had a meeting with the FBI Director this morning." She laughs in amusement as her sister's eyebrows fly up to disappear under blonde bangs. "It's not what you think, Penny. I am not becoming an agent."

Garcia eyes her sister carefully. "Are you going to stand there for the rest of the afternoon and tease me, or are you going to tell me what you're doing here? If not, I will tickle it out of you Ria!"

Ria lets out a laugh in her rich alto. "I wouldn't put it past you. I have a temporary consulting position. I'm supposed to meet with the BAU team later this afternoon. In fact, the Director will be giving you a call when the time comes so you can escort me to the BAU."

"Oh? You're going to be playing with my Fearless Leader and crew?" Garcia lets out a giggle of delight. "Oh the chaos you are going to cause! If they think I'm bad…"

"What have you done, Penny?"

Garcia turns an innocent face to her sister. "Absolutely nothing. I just make their rather dull lives a little more interesting. You'll see exactly what I mean when you meet them all. Do they know you're coming?"

Ria pulls a slip of paper from the pocket of her overcoat. "I'm supposed to report to a guy named Aaron Hotchner. He knows I'm coming."

"Ah, our Fearless Leader, Captain America! Does he have any clue who or what you are?"

"From what the Director, Mr. Caswell, told me, the BAU team knows nothing about me. The only one who knows I'm supposed to show up today is Hotchner."

"Then I know the perfect way to pass the time." Garcia gives her little sister a conspiratorial grin. "I'll introduce you to the team."

Ria looks at Penny quizzically. "How?"

"Simple. I am the Office of Supreme Genius. I have all the dirt that you could ever imagine having on these people." She pulls her chair close to the desk and her fingers start flying over the keyboard in front of her. "I'm going to pull up pics and explain who each one is." She flashes Ria a huge grin. "That way, you know exactly who they are, and you can confuse the hell out of them."

"Penny, there are days when I really love the fact that you are a complete computer geek. It reminds me of when we were young and how we would drive mum and dad crazy."

Penny laughs manically and points to a picture on her desk. It is a picture from when they were young on a family vacation to Disney World. They stand in front of Goofy, eyes glinting with mischief as they both pull on Goofy's ears. Ria smiles at the picture in its funky frame, in true Penny style, remembering her childhood.

The rest of the afternoon passes in laughter for the two sisters. Garcia pulls up pictures of all the team members and, using a fuzzy green pen as a pointer, she drills her younger sister about the BAU. By the time the phone call from the Director comes, Ria can identify each and every member.

"Ready to go meet a group of people who have no lives?"


	4. Meeting

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 4: Meeting**

Garcia takes her sister by the hand and leads her back to the BAU. As they walk, people bustle about, paying little attention to the two women who chatter happily like parakeets.

"They are going to have no idea what to make of you."

Ria glances at her sister, one eyebrow quirked in an expression of curiosity. "Oh?" she asks innocently.

Penny laughs, causing an intern to drop his coffee. "Let's just say they've never really worked with someone like you before. They're a bunch of profilers; not the most social bunch. If they're not with each other, they're with a dead body. Not my idea of a good time." She looks at Ria over the top of her glasses, which today are lime green. "I warn you now; they're going to put you under a lot of scrutiny. But they really are good people once you get to know them. They can't help the fact that they're intense."

A smile dances across Ria's lips. While she had been away, she had missed Penny's ability to chatter up a storm about anything and everything. Without a doubt, Penny is Ria's best friend. It is a fact that has held true ever since they were little.

After dodging a group of interns, the two Garcia sisters arrive at the BAU bullpen. The team is hard at work, heads bent over mountains of paperwork, attempting to find some sort of lead on the case that was giving them all headaches and sleepless nights.

A man, dressed in traditional FBI garb, and striking a firm countenance, emerges from a doorway and stands on the highwalk that oversees the activity below. He looks down to address the assembled team. "Everyone, come to the meeting room."

Garcia seizes the opportunity to quiz Ria. "Name that man."

Ria studies the face for a moment, before responding with "Aaron Hotchner."

"Good! You get a cookie later."

They remain unobserved in a corner of the bullpen as the team gathers itself together for yet another long day of brain teasing. Some, especially Morgan, were beginning to question the logic behind becoming a FBI profiler. They all appear exhausted; both mentally and physically. This case, known as the Circle Case, was proving to be a complete pain in the ass.

Once the team disappears into the meeting room, Penny says, "Showtime!"

Even though she is accustomed to meetings with strangers, Ria's heart quickens its pace. She rationalizes this sudden seizure of nerves on the basis that she has not acted in this particular capacity for quite some time. She remains in the corner, watching Penny walk fearlessly towards the meeting room. Penny glances over her shoulder to see if her baby sister was following. After taking a deep breath, Ria follows her older sister, heels clicking on the floor.

Garcia opens the door and receives some quizzical glances from Morgan and JJ. "Hotch, the consultant is here."

She steps aside to allow Ria to enter the room. All heads of the team turn toward the door to get a decent look at the new arrival.

"Ms. O'Connor, welcome." Hotch extended a hand in greeting. Ria takes it in her milk white hand and shakes firmly. "I'm Aaron Hotchner." He gestures with his hand to the remaining people. "These are the BAU team members. Jason Gideon, Derek Morgan, Dr. Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, and Jennifer "JJ" Jareau."

"It's quite the pleasure." Ria pulls a file from her briefcase. "I don't know if Director Caswell gave you a copy of my file."

Hotch reads through the file, eyebrows knitting together at points. "That's quite interesting…" he says aloud at one point.

"What?" Morgan asks, intrigued by Hotch's curiosity and the strangeness of the new consultant.

"Full name: Dr. Brialyn Lenora O'Connor-Garcia."

Morgan spins to face Ria. "You're Garcia's sister?" Disbelief is written across his face. His eyes twitch between Ria and Penny, trying to find some sort of family resemblance.

"I'm her adopted sister; have been since I was three" is Ria's simple reply. The answer seems to satisfy Morgan, who turns back to Hotch, expecting more.

"It says here on the resume that your previous employment was in a burlesque house in New Orleans?"

Emily jumps into the conversation. "You're a stripper?" she asks, her tone incredulous.

Ria turns her head to face Prentiss, her flame waves flowing behind her. "If you wish to speak crassly, yes. But allow me to make something quite clear." Ria takes two steps forward so that she is nearly nose to nose with Emily. Her eyes narrow to slits and her voice dips to a no-nonsense tone. "I do not turn tricks. I am not the filthy trash you assume me to be. I am a dancer only."

"You're consulting on this case?" Reid asks, speaking in an effort to break the tension between the two women.

"Yes, because of my expertise."

"As a stripper?" Emily scoffs. She cannot believe that someone like Ria could have any bit of intelligence in her head. She speaks the phrase as though she is twisting a knife. It is a direct criticism at Ria's offending presence.

"Not at all," Ria responds as though Prentiss said nothing. "I hold a doctorate in pagan and cult religions. I had originally turned my resume into the College of William and Mary, but somehow they felt that my knowledge would better serve you folks."

"Ms. O'Connor - Garcia…"

"Please, call me Ria," she interrupts Gideon gently.

"Ria, past employment notwithstanding, I'm glad you've decided to help us out. We've reached a point where we're nearly useless." He gestures to an empty seat, "Please settle in and we'll get to work."

"Certainly." Ria moves towards the chair and removes her overcoat.

"Brialyn Lenora O'Connor-Garcia!" Penny cries, aghast. Ria turns to her sister, genuinely surprised at the outburst. "You are barely within dress code!" her older sister exclaims while pointing an accusatory finger to Ria's selected wardrobe.

Ria glances down to observe the outfit she put on that day. In addition to the strappy leather stiletto heels, she wore a black silk skirt that came to mid-thigh, with a slit up her left thigh. The elbow sleeve blouse was powder blue, but only the bottom three buttons were fastened. The open blouse top reveals a lacy pale pink bustier. She thought nothing of it. Ever since moving down to New Orleans, this sort of outfit comprised the majority of her wardrobe.

However, the other team members were not quite as accepting of her garb. The men turned away, trying hard not to graze their eyes across the female figure in front of them. Hotch silently seethes beneath his calm exterior and Gideon raises his eyes to the sky, begging for patience. Morgan fights every instinct to stare while Reid squirms in his chair. From the women were various outbursts of outrage. JJ blushes in discomfort while muttering to herself and Emily rages up and down about improper and lewd behavior. Penny merely stands by the door and shakes her head at Ria's mannerisms. She knows her baby sister walks a completely different path. The rules of convention have never applied to Ria.

Unfazed by the exclamations of dislike for her appearance, Ria settles herself into a sitting position on the table. She crosses her long legs at the ankle, and leans across the table to reach the case file she had yet to read. At that moment, Reid turns around, only to find himself with a full view of everything Ria's blouse had to offer. He sputters and gapes, completely uncomfortable with the current situation. Like a scared rabbit, Reid stands and bolts to a chair on the opposite side of the table.

"Do you have photos of the crime scene and victim?" Ria asks while looking through the case file.

"Yes," Gideon responded before any of the team could make a snide comment. "On the whiteboard behind you."

Ria's ice blue eyes dance across the pictures taped to the whiteboard, soaking in every detail the pictures offer. The glossy prints show various angles of the crime scene. Her attention is drawn to an overhead shot of the crime scene. The body of a young woman lies in the center of ringstones, body lying prone on the center stone alter. What intrigues Ria most are the position of the body and the physical features of the victim. She turns to face the team, slightly hesitant to say what needs to be said in regards to the crime scene. Swallowing her fear, she says:

"You have two missing prior victims."


	5. Astonishment

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 5: Astonishment**

The entire team gapes at Ria. Did she really just say there were two other bodies? Where the hell was she getting two other bodies from? Everyone flipped through their files, trying to find some mention of previous bodies.

"There are two other bodies?" Morgan asks in disbelief, voicing the thoughts of everyone else. He gave a careless toss of his file, finding it absurd that there were other vics.

"Indeed. All the evidence is in these photos." Ria gestures to the photos on the whiteboard behind her.

Reid leans forward, curious about what this flashy newcomer has to say. "What sort of evidence?" He was always up for a new opportunity to learn a new technique of observation.

"I'll show you." Ria turns to JJ. "Is there anyway to get these photos projected so that they are large scale?"

"Yeah…" JJ takes the projector remote and punches a few buttons. After a minute, the files upload to the screen.

"Excellent." Ria stands and walks up to the screen. "JJ, bring up the overhead shot. Thanks." She seizes the same fuzzy green pen Penny had been using with her earlier. "Notice the location of the body. She's on an altar, in the middle of a ringstone. By the shadows cast by the stones, you can tell that her head is facing South. This correlates with the fact that the vic is a redhead."

"How does that mean anything?" Morgan queries, still searching for the validity of Ria's astounding statement.

Before Ria can explain, Reid pipes up with some factoids. "Typically, in any religion or culture, each cardinal direction is associated with a color. The color typically associated with the South is red. All of the color associations are based upon a certain elemental property, in the case of South – fire." He looks sheepishly up at Ria, knowing full well that he trespassed onto her turf.

However, Ria does not care overmuch. The excitement that flows through her about what she is seeing far outweighs any annoyance she could potentially harbor. "So, given that the vic has red hair and facing a southerly direction, this tells me that you need to find two previous vics: one with brown hair to represent North, and one with blonde hair to represent East." Ria pauses a moment before adding as a side note, "This also means that there is at least one more sacrifice that must be done before the ritual can progress."

"Another murder?" Emily asks.

"Your fourth victim will have black hair to represent West." Ria looks pointedly at Prentiss, noting her black hair.

Hotch takes this moment to question Ria a little deeper. "Do you have any idea what sort of ritual this unsub might be performing?"

Ria lets loose a sigh of exasperation. "It's too hard to tell from the photos alone. Nearly all rituals involve invoking the Four Cardinal Directions and Elements." She flops into a chair, frustrated that she cannot deduce more from the photos. "I wish I could pull more for you…"

Hotch favors her with a rare smile. "You've uncovered more in one hour than we've been able uncover in three weeks. You have already proven yourself invaluable to this case." He looks pointedly at all of his team members, making sure that they are all aware that, by his standards, Ria has earned her place.

Meanwhile, Gideon glances between Ria and the photos, slightly disappointed that she had been unable to identify a particular ritual. Hotch may have given his approval, but Gideon wanted to see more of what Ria was able to do with her background in pagan and cult religions. But his profiler personality assured him that there were certain bits of non-photographical information that could make all the difference.

"Alright everyone," Hotch says after a period of silence. "Wheels are up in an hour for Salem, MA. Be prepared for a couple of days because I have no idea how long we'll be there. We can't afford to loose any time if there are two previous vics and a soon to be fourth."

The team filed out of the meeting room with a sense of urgency, eager to get back into the field after weeks of deskwork. Each member began their own unique process of preparation of a trip out in the field. Ria remained in the meeting room, going over the case file without the pressure of proving her abilities hanging over her. It frustrated her that she could not figure out exactly what sort of ritual was being attempted. Perhaps once she placed herself within the crime scene, she could get a better feel of what was running rampant in sleepy Salem.

"Ria, you going to get ready?"

Ria pulls her nose out of the file to find Penny leaning against the door frame. She glances back down at the file, wishing she had more information.

"Yeah…" Ria pauses for a few moments, compiling a mental list in her head of what she might need. "You know, my entire life is currently packed inside my car," she tells her older sister with a laugh.

Penny looks at her little sister with a wry grin. "You might want to start rummaging now, before the plane leaves without you."

"You're not coming?"

Penny shakes her head. "I can be of much more use here with my babies. Making me travel with them is pointless, especially when I've got all of them on speed-dial and we've got a webcam in JJ's laptop."

"Let me guess, Derek Morgan is number one on speed-dial…"

Penny glares at Ria through slitted eyes. "You, my dear little sister who's a royal pain in my ass, will keep silent on that matter."

Ria merely laughs off her sister's threat as she waltzes out of the meeting room. "I shall poke and prod wherever I feel like." She walks along the highwalk, oblivious to the team members below who are intently watching the exchange between the Garcia sisters. "Nothing can compare to the sneakiness of little sisters!" she throws over her shoulder with a toss of fiery waves as she heads out of the bullpen.

"Curse you!" Penny hollers from the doorway to Ria's retreating back. Penny was certain that the Salem trip was going to prove to be enlightening for the BAU team. She momentarily pitied the team, until she realized that such an encounter would be for their own good. She made a mental note to clean out her spare room at some point, so Ria would have a place to crash once the case was over.

As she walked past the team, Morgan implores, "Baby doll, is there any way you can save us from your sister?"

Penny eyes Morgan, debating how she should answer. "Baby cakes," she says with a sympathetic pat on the shoulder, "she's your consultant. Its time you got to know her and love her like I do."

"How do we even try to relate?" JJ cries.

Penny just laughs. "You've all got more in common with her than you think. Trust me. Take some time to get to know her and you'll see what I mean. She's not the cold hearted bitch you all assume her to be." With one last flirtatious smile at Morgan, she leaves them all by saying, "Keep in touch my lovelies. A girl gets lonely when all she has are machines. The real thing is amazing from time to time."


	6. Flight

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 6: Flight**

The team sat in their usual positions on the plane, waiting for take off. Ria still had not shown up yet, and there were only ten more minutes before they left. Hotch glances down at his watch, annoyed that Ria had failed to show up. But just as he started to give the OK to the pilot and ground crew, the sound of a rather irate woman reached their ears.

"…I don't give a damn as to what your protocol is! I am currently an official member of the Bureau, thus making me entitled to the few amenities that are provided. Don't go telling me that I can't keep my car in a secure location, because I know damn well I can."

The sounds of Ria's tirade filter through the cabin, echoing in an almost disturbing manner. Hotch exits the plane, hoping to find a rational explanation for the scene below.

"Is there a problem?"

Ria spins around to face Hotch, her blue eyes glinting dangerously. Her tone is curt as she responds, "This man sees it fit to deny me a secure parking location for my car. I have no where else to park it because I have no current residence, and all of my belongings are packed away in aforementioned car."

Hotch bites his lip, pleading patience. The accused man, a young agent hopelessly dedicated to protocol, steps forward to defend his position.

"Sir, she's not a real agent. By the regulations of the Bureau, she cannot keep her vehicle on our property."

A growl of annoyance nearly escapes Hotch's throat. "Ms. O'Connor-Garcia is consulting with the BAU on our current case. Director Caswell just finished the necessary paperwork for her this morning. Ms. O'Connor-Garcia is protected by all by-laws of the Bureau while she works for it. Do I make this clear for you, Agent?"

The younger man backs down immediately. He's heard the stories about what happens to people who get on the wrong side of the BAU members, especially Agent Hotchner. "Yes, Sir. Absolutely clear. I'll get her car moved immediately."

"You can return my keys to my sister, Penelope Garcia." Ria turns away, picking up her bright lime green duffle bag and boards the plane. With an aggravated shove, she stuffs the bag into a compartment and slumps into an available seat. Muttering to herself, she pulls out the case file from her briefcase. She then kicks off her heels so that she can tuck her feet underneath her as she sits. Finally comfortable, she withdraws an electric blue fuzzy pen, which had been discreetly filched from Penny's office. Opening the file, Ria begins to make notes in the obnoxiously bright blue ink.

The rest of the team watches in silence, unsure of how to draw Ria into the fold. Prentiss looks at her with a discernable frown of distain, reluctant to form a working relationship with someone she viewed as questionable. JJ had other thoughts however. As one of Penelope's best friends, she wanted to get to know Ria better. The men were less sure of how to approach her. Ria had an assertiveness that made even Morgan hesitant.

"I'm excited to go to Salem," Reid says out of the blue.

Morgan turns to face him, an eyebrow quirked in question.

"It's home of the first witch trials in America, and full of rich history stemming from that period. There are ghost tours that I would dearly love to go on."

Gideon smiled to himself. Here was a bit of the old Reid coming back to them. Ever since the encounter with Raphael-Tobias-Charles Hankel, Reid had been a mere shadow of himself. The fatherly nature in Gideon ached to see Reid suffer, but knew no direct way in which to help him.

"What are our logistics after landing?" Ria asks the team. In her lap, the file is covered scrawled notes. Her demeanor is soft, looking completely at ease as she ponders the case and all associated information.

JJ pulls a sheet of paper from her folder, and begins to describe an order of events. "We're being met at Logan airport by the Salem police. We then have about an hour drive out to Salem…"

Morgan looked puzzled. "Salem doesn't have an airport?"

"It's a small costal town in Massachusetts. Why would it?" JJ's response was a little harsher than she had intended, but it was the truth. Shaking off the bitchy edge to her voice, she continued with the logistics. "Once we get to Salem, we pretty much have the run to do what we want. For lack of any "proper" hotels, the Bureau was forced to place us in a bed and breakfast." She says this last bit with a sardonic twist of her lips. Lately, the Bureau had been setting them up in hell-hole hotels to save on expenses. "That's about it. We've basically got free run." She puts the logistics sheet away, and opens the floor for other voices.

Hotch then takes up the flow of logistical discussion, but from a different angle. "Once we're in Salem, we're going to drop of our bags and hit this thing running. Room assignments are as follows: Reid and Morgan, Gideon and me, and the three girls." He gives a quick glance about the cabin, just to get a reading on how everyone feels about the room assignments. Seeing to imminent problems he continues: "Alright, now the fun part: first day job assignments. JJ, I want you and Reid at the station setting up our base. Prentiss, take Morgan with you to the morgue. Take pictures and get all the evidence you can from that body. Ria, you'll come with me and Gideon to the scene."

Morgan gives a slight groan of annoyance at not being able to see the scene immediately, but stifles it quickly when he catches Hotch's disapproving glare. There would be other chances to see the scene, he was sure of it.

"Emily," Ria says gently, knowing the older woman's obvious dislike of her, "when you're done with the evidence from the morgue, I'd like to take a look at it. It could provide me with some useful information about the ritual." The entire proposal has a definitive by-your-leave tone.

"…sure…" Emily replies, slightly thrown off by the gentle tone. "I'll get you copies to you as soon as I can."

JJ had to admit to herself that Ria's proposal was smooth. There was a grace in the subtle way she softened Emily's vice towards her. After always being the one to lure people into complacency, JJ liked being able to watch such manipulation at work once and a while. It provides her with an opportunity to learn new tricks.

Morgan turns away from the window and looks Ria squarely in the face. "What do you expect to get from the scene? Don't you need a scene with a recently performed ritual?"

Ria shakes her head, causing her hair to fall in front of her face. Absently, she tucks it behind her ears before answering. "A fresh scene isn't necessary, but it sure would be helpful," she admits. "I'm hoping to get a better sense of the space itself. Apart from the ringstones, I need to see if there are any other reasons why that particular space was chosen as the ritual site."

"The ringstones aren't necessary?" JJ voices a question that all were thinking.

Ria gives JJ a soft smile. "That's a common misconception, stemming from a variety of sources: neo-Druids flocking to Stonehenge; popular representation of dancing naked under a full moon within the ring; even the Roman histories on the Druids in Ireland. All of these sources created the notion and no one has bothered to fix it. In actuality, any location will suffice, if prepared properly." She gestures to the table where Reid and Gideon sit at their usual game of chess. "Even that table could be used for a ritual."

Reid leans closer, eager to increase his store of knowledge. He had never ventured towards this subject matter in his studies. At the time, he had considered it useless and fantastical. But here was a young woman who made it her life study. Seeing the glow of excitement in Ria's eyes made him see the intriguing nature of this subject and was enticed to learn more.

Ria continued, encouraged by the rapt attention of her audience. It was rare that people actually listened to her when she spoke of this material. "Once I've seen the space, I'll be able to draw more substantial conclusions about the ritual and the unsub."

While glancing out the window, Gideon says, "You'll soon have your chance; we're landing."

When they deplaned, the crisp spring air of New England caressed their faces with welcoming breezes. It was early afternoon, leaving them with plenty of sunlight for their task. The lush green of spring lifted their spirits, drawing them away from their morbid task. The entire team basks in the moment, before they are addressed by a man of middle years.

"The BAU team, I'm guessing?"

"Agent Hotchner," Hotch says, offering a hand. "And Agents Gideon, Morgan, Prentiss, Reid, Jareau, and O'Connor-Garcia." He gestures widely behind him to the others.

"John Douglass, Salem police. Glad to have you on this. We've got two SUVs waiting, so climb in and settle back for the ride."

The ride out to Salem is quite and uneventful. Each of the team members sat with their own thoughts, wishing that they could take a vacation, even just for a little while. Ria sat by a window, drinking in the landscape and glimpses of the powerful Atlantic Ocean. It was a pity that just tranquility had been destroyed by such a vicious crime.


	7. Social Ballet

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 7: Social Ballet**

The bed and breakfast was a quaint converted Victorian house, once painted blue, but now turned to a silvery blue from the elements. The gardens in the front of the house were a riot of bright spring blooms, creeping up the front porch lattice-work. It seemed surreal to the team that such a place could exist in the middle of a violence torn community.

An older aged woman, Ria places her at about 60, emerges from the house and bustles down the path to the agents. "You must be the FBI agents that have come to stay with me!" Her countenance is bright, matching the hideous floral gingham dress she wears complemented with a white apron.

"You must be Mrs. Kindstrand," Gideon says courteously.

"I am. Welcome to my bed and breakfast. Can I get you all settled by making up some food for you?"

"We must decline your offer for the moment," Hotch says diplomatically. "Right now we'd like our room assignments so we can put away our luggage."

"Of course," the house matron replies, a slight crestfallen expression stealing across her features.

Mrs. Kindstrand leads them inside the Victorian house, where the team is confronted by furniture that looks like it has not moved out of the 1920s. The walls are painted brightly, giving off an overbearingly cheery vibe. The blend of antique and new is slightly jarring and difficult to adjust to.

She moves behind the front desk and begins reading off room assignments. "Mr. Morgan and Mr. Reid are in room 6; Mr. Gideon and Mr. Hotchner are in room 9; and the three ladies are in room 11." She distributes the room keys with the customary 'please do not loose these' speech.

Hotch turns to address his team, cutting off any potential commentary from Mrs. Kindstrand. "Alright, usual drill; drop your stuff and get to work. Ria, Gideon and I will meet you down here in ten minutes."

Ria nods her agreement before following JJ up the stairs. Their heels click on the old wood, echoing slightly in the hallway.

"Number 11, home sweet home," JJ says to no one in particular. She unlocks the door, revealing a bright yellow room, accented in white.

"Not exactly my favorite color scheme," Emily remarks.

"It's only for a few days," Ria reasons. "Besides, yellow is a color for protection and confidence. The white color is for truth and purity."

JJ looks at Ria, genuine curiosity on her face. Emily, on the other hand, is still skeptical of Ria. _After all, she is only twenty four; I don't care how much she may know on this subject. I had to earn my place, and so must she. _

Ria stashes her lime green duffle in a corner, not bothering to stake out a claim on a particular bed. As she rifles through her things, she chats idly to JJ, talking like they would have if they were new college roommates. A few minutes later, she grabs both her briefcase and overcoat before heading down to meet Hotch and Gideon. As she heads down the hall, she pulls on the overcoat, knowing full well the temperature change that can occur within a forest. However, the coat serves another purpose; she will not have to deal with the lascivious stares as she tries to do her job.

Exuberant to finally see the crime scene first hand, Ria bounds down the old stairs, forgetting the classy nature she had spent years developing. For a few moments, she feels her own age, instead of her projected older self.

Hotch and Gideon stand waiting in the entry hall, discussing logistics for the next few days. Ria immediately pulls herself together before announcing her presence with a slight cough. "Ah, Ria," Gideon greets her. "Ready?"

"Yes, sir," she replies as she smoothes down the front of her overcoat.

Detective Douglass drives the three agents the short distance to Highland Park; the location of the murder. "…also known as Salem Woods," Detective Douglass explains. The passengers are silent, soaking in the landscape and any tidbits of information that the detective shares. "Here we are then," Detective Douglass announces a few minutes later. "There's a park manager here to guide you up to the scene, and to answer any questions you may have about the Park."

Hotch merely nods his head in thanks. He is already preparing himself for the scene walk through. Sometimes he wishes that they could do these walk throughs without the locals breathing down their necks.

Gideon, on the other hand, is watching Ria. He is curious as to how she is going to read the scene. Since she comes from a completely different academic background than the rest of the team, she should be able to provide some interesting perspectives on what hidden clues are at the scene. However, he is slightly wary of letting her on the scene. He knows that she has not been trained on proper protocol for crime scenes. In fact, she has not been trained for anything.

Ria steps out of the SUV, coming face to face with a man of about thirty. _Quite the handsome fellow_ Ria thinks to herself. She knows that Gideon and Hotch are watching her every move like hawks. She smiles sweetly at the man, waiting for him to begin the introductions.

"Afternoon," the man says once Gideon and Hotch have joined the younger people. "I'm Mark Keyes, Highland Park manager." He shakes hands with Gideon and Hotch before turning his attention to Ria. "Are you coming up as well?"

"I am…"

"You might want to find some different shoes," he cautions her gently. "These trails aren't exactly high-heel approved. I doubt you'd be able to get five feet before I would have to haul you out."

Instead of lashing out at him in anger, Ria merely laughs. Gideon sees quite clearly, without profiling, that Mark Keyes is quite enchanted by Ria. _Perhaps we could use this to our advantage._ He watches the two young people carefully as they perform a sort of social ballet.

"Thank you, Mr. Keyes…"

"Please, call me Mark."

"Thank you, Mark, for your consideration." Crouching down, she unfastens the straps to her shoes, and places them back in the SUV. Barefoot, she begins to walk up the only path in sight. "This way, Mark?"

"Exactly." He quirks an eyebrow at her bare feet, but chooses not to voice an opinion. "Gentlemen, care to follow?"

Gideon and Hotch wordlessly follow behind Mark and Ria. Once within sight of the crime scene, they fall back a few paces out of ear shot.

"I've got to give Ria credit," Hotch says. "She knows how to manipulate people. She might even be better than JJ."

Gideon nods in agreement. "She certainly knows how to play people. Given her past, I'm willing to say that she's had enough experience to become this good. What I'm most curious about is how she's going to read this scene."

Hotch seemed to sense Gideon's uncertainty. "You think that because she's never been trained on how to be at a crime scene she might ruin something?"

"Anything's possible."

"Let's just watch her for now, and see what she does."

As she walks the trail with Mark, Ria can feel the watchful eyes of Gideon and Hotch. Growling in annoyance to herself, Ria turns around and faces the two older men. "Mum, Dad, I would appreciate it if you got off my back. I'm not going to do anything that could ruin your crime scene. I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself."

Leaving a stunned Gideon and Hotch in her wake, Ria walks into the clearing. Once her eyes adjust to the brightness of the clearing, she cries out in surprise at what she encounters.


	8. Questions

**Broken Circle**

**Chapter 8: Questions**

"What do you make of Ria?"

JJ looks up at Reid, turning her attention away from the computer she was setting up. "Why do you ask?"

"She's quite the character. She waltzes in here, dressed in practically nothing, knowing an absurd amount of information on a rare topic, and she's so self assured. To be honest, I'm baffled by it." He pauses, taking a long draught from his coffee before continuing. "She's the same age as me, yet she has all the confidence I lack and more. She so self assured that it's hard to imagine that she has any personal demons at all. I mean, yes she was adopted by Garcia's family, but you wouldn't be able to tell without being told. She and Garcia fit perfectly as sisters. I'll be very surprised if she has any personal demons."

JJ laughs at Reid's diatribe. "Spence," she says gently, "she's not a child prodigy like you are. She's just a hard-working girl who knows where she wants to go in her life." She pauses for a second, fighting with the laptop cord. "I see myself in her actually."

Reid nearly drops his coffee. "Wha?" he sputters.

"Not in the microscopic clothing, adopted as a small child sort of way… I was driven, like her. She just happens to have a ton more confidence." She continues the fight with the cording for a few more moments before giving up. "As far as personal demons go, some people are just good at hiding them."

Placated for the moment, Reid settles into a chair, pondering the case file. "We're here in Salem, stereotypically known for being a sleepy little New England town, yet I see commerce thriving. For once in my life, I'm confused as hell. There's absolutely no connection to the real trials that occurred here back in 1690."

"Well, maybe Ria will be able to tell us what's going on here." JJ's cell phone rings shrilly. "Yeah…what…alright…" She turns back to Reid. "We've got a new scene."

"Let's go."

Meanwhile, in the morgue, Emily and Morgan are having a similar conversation.

"Hey, Morgan? What do you think of Ria?"

Morgan looks up from the body, slightly confused as to why Emily is bringing this up. "You got a problem with her?"

"She unsettles me," Emily confesses. "I've never seen so much confidence in one person." She pauses for a moment, looking at the body in order to make her thoughts coherent. "We barely know anything about her, except that she's a stripper, has an unusual degree, and related to Garcia."

Morgan nods, seeing the validity of Emily's distress. "She seems to know what she's talking about. I don't think we'll ever know anything about her, unless she willingly offers information up." He makes some mental notes about the condition of the body before continuing. "I think all her confidence comes from her profession. You can't exactly be timid if you're gonna make money in her line of work." He is interrupted by the ringing of his cell. "Morgan…yeah…alright….we'll be there."

"What's going on?"

"We've got a new scene."

Nodding their thanks to the mortician, they hurry out and drive over to the scene, picking Reid and JJ up along the way.

"It's sort of exciting to have a new scene," Reid quips from the back. "Not in the sense that we're too late to prevent another killing, but in the sense that we get to see how Ria works with a fresh scene. I'm sure she'll be able to get more information with a fresh scene."

JJ takes a sideways look at Reid. Morgan looks at him in the rearview mirror, and Emily actually turns around to face him. He senses their shock and quickly explains: "I'm quite interested in seeing how she works. I know very little about her field of study, and I'm excited to learn more. I hate the fact that there is a new victim, but maybe it's not all bad. I mean, we really don't know if there are going to be more or not. This will give Ria a chance to find that out."

When they arrive at Highland Park, there is an officer waiting to bring them along the trail. Every single professional bone in their body kicks into overdrive as they approach the scene. As they walk up, Hotch and Gideon are clearly in view, but Ria cannot be seen from their current position.

"Hotch, Gideon," Morgan calls.

The two older men turn around, and relax slightly at seeing the rest of their team. "This isn't like anything we've ever dealt with," Hotch cautions. "You can walk the scene, but leave Ria alone. I don't want us to inhibit her in her own methods."

The younger agents step into the clearing, but no amount of caution could prepare them for what lay before them.


	9. Scenes

**Broken Circle**

**Author's Note:** My sincerest apologies, dear readers. I've been terrible busy all summer and have not had the time to dedicate myself to my writing like I had planned. I hope that all of you who were so supportive of this in the beginning will stay as such. I should be back on track now that I've straightened a few things out in my life. On with the story!

**Chapter 9: Scenes**

JJ visibly blanches when she takes in the new scene, unconsciously hiding her head in Reid's shoulder. Reid himself looks as though he wants to hide as well. Only Morgan and Emily manage to keep their surprise to themselves, but just barely.

Before them lies a new body, done in the exact same way as the previous one. The young woman's hair falls over the edge of the stone altar, partly covering her empty features. The team can hear Ria talking to herself, processing the scene she sees before her. The FBI agents stand in complete shock, understanding fully that they are ill prepared for something of this nature.

The young woman's body, lying on the stone altar in the middle of the ringstones, is mutilated beyond recognition. The ground within the ring is stained with bright red blood, obviously fresh. Yet there is a curiosity in how the blood pool is formed. From what the agents can see, the blood has been channeled to run in eight directions. Placed in and outside of the ring, ritual tools are placed, without any particular reasoning as far as the BAU is concerned.

"She was interrupted."

Ria's voice brings all of the agents out of their ponderings. "Pardon?" Hotch asks.

"You're unsub – she was interrupted."

"She?" Emily interjects.

Ria nods. "You're unsub is female. The types of ritual tools and manner of the ritual is consistent with a female." She gestures towards the altar. "For a male unsub to persuade a female to participate in such an event, would suggest a level of control, perhaps even violence over his intended victim. However, a female unsub would have no problem with persuading another female to take part in a "ritual." She probably convinced our victim that it was some sort of feminine ritual of sorts." Ria continues to circle the stone altar, her bare feet carefully avoiding the pooling blood.

"Can you get a sense of when she was interrupted?" Hotch entreats Ria.

The flame haired woman is silent for a few moments as she considers all the clues that lie before her. "Judging by the unfinished feel, I would say our appearance in the forest is what interrupted her."

"So she could still be here!" Morgan exclaims, already turning on his heel to run off in some random direction.

"Possible, but unlikely," Gideon serenely observes. "She does not want to be caught at what she's going. It's likely she's prominent in the community and fears the talk that would emerge if she was found out by accident."

While the team tossed about theories as to their unsub, Ria was much more curious about the ritual. Often, there were certain aspects to a ritual that could tell much about the one performing it. Desperate for material in deciphering personal tells in ritual design, Ria seizes her cell phone and dials a familiar number.

"You have reached the Seat of Absolute Intelligence. Speak, ye who seek knowledge!"

"Penny, darling. Can you do me a huge favor?"

"Anything for my dear little sis."

"Get into my university's library database and get me all the material you can on personal modifications to rituals, spells, whatever. Fax it all to the Salem Police station."

"You're wish is my command." There is the sound of furiously flying fingers over keys before Penny speaks again. "How's things looking?"

"I'm standing in a fresh ritual space. The team are throwing about theories, I'm trying my hardest to wrap my head around this ritual, and it's all very overwhelming." Ria walks a few paces away from the team, not wanting the next part of her conversation to be overheard. "Pen, what I'm about to say is in complete confidence, so don't go blabbing. I'm not sure if this is normal, but Dr. Reid's behavior is quite unsettling."

"His fountain of useless facts?"

"No, more of his slightly surly and shifty behavior. It doesn't quite seem like the same Spencer Reid that you've told me so much about."

On the other end of the phone line, Penelope Garcia is silent. "There was a case a while back that hit him harder that any other. He's still trying to work through the aftermath."

"If you're sure that's all…" Ria trails off, glancing back at the team who are wandering about the scene. "Well, I better get back to work before the boss man gets his tie done up too tightly." She snaps the phone shut before heading back over to the team to see of they had discovered any useful insights.

"You guys find anything?"

Despondently, they all shake their heads in the negative.

"Alright, here's the plan." Hotch pulls his head out of his hands to address his assembled team. "I want all of you to collect as many photos of this place as you can. I don't care how many pictures of the same thing we have. Each person taking the picture will show a different perspective on the subject, perhaps allowing us to find things that would be normally missed if only one person was on photo detail."

The team scurried to do as bidden. Armed with a digital camera and an endless available supply of memory cards, Ria works her way through the crime scene, starting from the entrance point she felt was most likely for the unsub. Her point of origin was much different from the others. She started at a lesser used path, one that faced the ringstones directly, unlike the main path they had all come up. From there she traces a circular path around the scene, photographing every step in both up-close and landscape type shots.

Emily seemed focused solely on the victim. She did little to venture out into the broader scope of the scene. JJ on the other hand, was taking landscape shots, encompassing as much as the scene as she could into every shot. She even went as far as to include the top tree-line, indicating the position of the sun in the sky. Morgan had no apparent method to how he walked and photographed the scene. He went where his attention was drawn. Reid focused on every detail that he could possibly find: tools, soil, even the graffiti on the backside of one sentinel stone. Gideon and Hotch merely stood to the side, watching their agents work.

"I'm hoping, with a degree of desperation, that hiring Ria was not a mistake," Hotch remarks to Gideon. "While what she says is interesting, I have yet to see how it is going to help us with this case."

Gideon smiles benignly at the younger, suit stuffed man. "Patience," he intones sagely. "She's not used to this sort of arena. In time she will be much more able to meet the demands that this profession places on us."

Standing in the center of the ringstones, Ria takes a long look at the situation she finds herself in. To her left lies the body, pale and empty. Without thinking, she pushes the curtain of dark hair away from the face of the victim. What she sees halts any other thought.

"Guys, you might wanna come look at this."

The entire team stops their photography to join Ria.

"What are we looking at?" Emily questions once everyone is assembled.

"Look at her expression."

They stand there for a few moments, observing the empty visage, and wondering what Ria saw.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be seeing," JJ admits after a few long moments of puzzled silence.

"Trust." Reid suddenly blurts out.

"Care to fill the rest of us in my man?" Morgan quips.

Reid's chocolate eyes light up at the question. As he speaks, his voice squeaks in excitement, a tone that has not been heard from him in a long time. "Well, Ria already established that out unsub is a woman. Since all of the victims have been women, it suggests a sort of bond, or trust. Had the victims been male, we could safely assume that she would have used seduction or another similar ruse to attract her victims. Therefore, I think we're looking for a female member of this community, one whom nearly all of the local women know enough to follow her into the middle of the woods without hesitation."

Gideon nods his agreement to Reid's information. "We're definitely looking for a local female. Someone no younger than 30; someone who's been a part of the community her whole life. JJ, I want you to hold off on doing any press on this unsub. I want more information before we start scaring the public."

"Ria, what can you tell us about the significance of the ritual?" Hotch questions. He needed more answers.

"I…I…can't right say yet," Ria says hesitantly. She hangs her head so that her face is hidden by the long tresses of flame red hair. "I'll be able to give you a better answer in the morning."

Hotch frowns, unhappy with the answer he is given. "You better have something in the morning," he snaps before turning on his heel and walking away.

Ria bits her lip, shamed that she let Hotch down.

Morgan pats her shoulder companionably. "Don't worry, as long as you give him something in the morning, he's not going to stay mad at you for long. He's not even really mad."

Somehow, Morgan's words are not comforting. Ria shrugs him off and begins making her way down the path back to the SUVs. Her radiant, confident appearance seemed to be slightly dulled after being reprimanded by Hotch. JJ had immense sympathy for her; she knew what it felt like to be in the receiving end of Hotch's disappointment. As they drove back the bed and breakfast, Ria knew that she had one long all-nighter ahead of her.


	10. Night Owl

A/N: Hello every one

**A/N: **Hello every one. Terribly sorry that this is so late in coming. My Criminal Minds muse abandoned me for a while. But after seeing the preview for Season 4, it has come back full force. I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait.

**Chapter 10: Night Owl**

Upon returning to the bed and breakfast, the team finds that Mrs. Kindstrand has prepared supper for them all. Knowing it rude to refuse a meal made out of kindness, they sit down to fill their empty bellies. Only Ria and JJ seem to be able to eat heartily, chattering like college roommates all the while. Emily eyes them enviously; jealous of the bond the two younger women have created, seemingly out of thin air. Reid interrupts them occasionally, only to spout some semi-relevant fact to the two girl's conversation before falling silent again.

With supper completed, Hotch sends the team off to bed with a brief command. "Rest up; we've got more work a head of us. I want to make some progress tomorrow." He eyes Ria pointedly before turning on his heel to walk up the stairs to his waiting bed. Everyone else follows, a herd of exhausted sheep wanting nothing more than sleep.

In the girls' room, Emily makes quick work of stealing the shower first, leaving JJ and Ria to eye her suspiciously.

"She doesn't seem to like me," Ria observes while rummaging through her lime green duffle. "I don't think I've done anything to make her hate me."

JJ looks at the younger woman softly. "I just think it's because you're the new girl and everyone's warmed up to you rather quickly. When she was the new girl on the team, we didn't take to her as quickly as we've taken to you."

Ria looks up at JJ, startled by the confession. "What makes me so different?" Her tone is slightly accusatory, but only out of a desire to know the truth of the situation.

"You were more personable when we first met you. Yes, you walked into the room wearing something the Bureau would never allow as proper dress code, but you had an approachable aura about you." JJ tucks a lock of golden hair behind her ear, scrambling for a hair elastic. "It also helped that you didn't come to us under such strange circumstances. When Emily came, we weren't sure how she managed to get a position when Hotch had never interviewed her or anything. The most important piece, however, is that she had to earn her place with us, and I think she feels that you need to as well, instead of just being accepted out front."

Ria shrugs, still confused as to why Emily would hold such a thing against her. Pulling on a tank top, oversized sweatpants and zip-up sweatshirt, she sits sorting through the pages upon pages of information that Penny had faxed over for her. Once Emily vacates the small bathroom, Ria steals it for a few moments to wash off her makeup and the grime that has accumulated on her face. When she walks out, she finds Emily fast asleep, and JJ waiting patiently for the bathroom.

"It's all yours."

JJ jumps up, dashing inside, glad to have a chance to wash the day off her body.

Ria chuckles to herself as she gathers up her papers. They are stuffed inside the briefcase alongside her laptop and an old worn leather reference book. On silent bare feet, Ria heads down the hallway, down the stairs, and out onto the covered farmer's porch that wrapped around one side of the bed and breakfast.

Pulling out her cell phone, she gives Penny a call.

"Dominion of all knowledge, how may I be of assistance?"

"Penny, I hope you're nice and comfy…"

Ria can nearly see Penny glaring at her on the other end. "And why would I have to be?"

"You're not going to be going home tonight. I've got work to do and you're going to have to help me."

"To what do I owe this late night pleasure?" Penny wheels across the room to her filing cabinet. From the bottom drawer, she pulls out a pair of sweatpants, kicks off her heels, slips out of her skirt, and pulls the sweatpants on. "And how many pots of coffee am I going to need?"

"Haha sis. Hotch wasn't very pleased with me when I couldn't answer his question today."

"Never fear sunshine, I'm sure that brain of yours will come up with something to make it all better. Besides, bet you ten to one that Hotch is just stressed out beyond belief. You guys are dealing with something that we've never dealt with before."

Ria settles herself comfortable in a porch swing, piling the files by her feet. "Penny?"

"Yeah?'

"I'm glad you're my sister."

Back in her office at Quantico, Garcia's eyes well up with tears. "Why are we talking about this right now? We've got a creep to catch."

Leaning back in the swing, Ria looks up at the stars. "I just wanted to make sure that you knew that." She shuffles though her briefcase to find her phone charger. In a light tone she says, "I'm all plugged in. Let's catch a creep."

The two young women spend the next few hours pouring over every scrap of information available, often retracing their intellectual steps. What were once orderly piles of papers and pictures have become a scattered mess all over the porch. Often the two sisters work in silence, the only noises transmitting across the telephone connection was keyboard keys clicking and papers shuffling.

"Penny, riddle me this: why hadn't the team come to the scene prior to my arrival?"

"I think they have only been working on the case as an assistance case. In assistance cases, they don't actually go to location; they just sit at their desks and try to figure things out from what local police fax over. Besides, there was only one body."

Ria shakes her head. "Seems sort of silly, doesn't it? From what I understand, profiling requires a look at the location to gather pertinent information as well."

Garcia shrugs. "I don't understand most of what they do. I just help out where I can. Speaking of help, the prints on our latest vic came through. Jezzica Vaughn, 28. Works at the Clinique counter at Macy's."

Leaning over, Ria shuffles though the piles of papers and digs out the picture of the victim. "Clinique counter, you said? Fitting with a Water personality. They tend to be…"

"…creative. Mostly in art, like painting."

Ria squints in the dark to find Reid standing by the edge of her pile of papers. "Reid. What are you doing up?"

"Don't sleep much these days. Can I help with anything? I feel sort of useless just staring at the bedroom ceiling listening to Morgan snore."

"My baby cakes snores? This will not do."

Ria laughs at Garcia's ridiculous statement. "Focus, honey. I realize it's late and you've had enough coffee to make a mammoth jittery, but I need you to keep focused."

"Aye aye!"

Reid glances over at Ria and rolls his eyes. "Ok, so for victimology we're looking at women who display traits of the associated elements. We just got Water, we got Fire a little while back…"

"But we're still missing Air and Earth," Ria continues. "I'm positive that there have already been other victims. Most people who partake in ritual almost always start at Earth and work around the circle. Occasionally you'll get someone who starts at his or her personal element, but that is generally a working devoted to that specific element. What we've seen tells me that this person is working with all the elements." She reaches down and pulls out crime scene photos.

Reid, on the other hand, works through the coroner's report on the two available victims. "It says here that both victims had their wrists slashed. But that alone wouldn't generate enough blood to be necessary to channel like we've seen. The medical examiner then makes note of cuts along their sides."

"That would make a person bleed," Garcia pipes up from the phone. "So, the unsub slashes their wrists and sides. What does that mean?"

Ria buries her head in her hands and lets out a long sighing groan. "I wish I knew. What did you find on Fire?"

"Nothing so far. Pretty much an unknown. But I'll find something, fear not."

Turning to Reid, Ria's blue eyes are pools of helplessness in the pale night. "What are we supposed to do?" Her voice is high pitched in desperation. Reid can plainly see that she is frazzled; he doesn't need profiling skills to see that.

"Let's think about what we can tell Hotch tomorrow morning. We have a name on the Water vic. We can have someone go talk to her coworkers, and someone else can check out her residence. Once we get and ID on the Fire vic, we can do the same for her. Hotch will be pleased with that. We know that the victims must display overt characteristics of their associated element…"

"Which tells me that there must be something in common between all of the victims." Ria rises from the swing and begins to pace the length of the porch. "If we can get an ID on Fire, we might be able to see if these two women have anything in common. And I mean anything. There is something specific about these women that is making them the participants of this ritual."

"The minute I get a positive ID on Fire I'll start digging."

"Thanks Penny. Why don't you go grab some sleep sis. We all need to be ship-shape if we're going to accomplish anything." Stifling a yawn, Ria begins to clean up the scattered papers."

"If you're sure…" Garcia's voice is tinted with hesitation.

"Ria's right Garcia. We're going to clean up here and catch what sleep we can."

"Alright, but you call me the minute you guys hit the ground again. I'm gonna get cozy on the couch in JJ's office. Night Mouseketeers!" The line goes dead as Garcia hangs up.

Glancing down at his watch, Reid gives a heavy sigh. You know we're only going to get about two hours, right?"

From behind her curtain of hair Ria responds, "Two is better than nothing." As she puts the crime scene photos back in the file, she pauses at one of the landscape shots JJ had taken. "Hey Reid, if you were an unsub, where would you hide the bodies?"

Reid leans on the porch railing as he considers the question. With his gaze focused on the stars, he replies, "Near the kill site. It would be too risky to transport them far, especially if I were doing it in a location like the Salem woods. Why?"

She hands him the photograph. "This is a landscape shot taken by JJ. What do you make of the very right hand edge of that picture, just as the narrow path drops out of the photo?"

He pulls the photo close to his nose, pushing his hair out of his eyes. Moving more directly into the light, he examines the photograph at all angles. "They look sort of like burial mounds. Simplistic, but in a way that blends them into the natural landscape."

"Something tells me that those mounds will contain Earth and Air."


	11. Sleepless

A/N: I know this is a short chapter

**A/N: **I know this is a short chapter. I wanted to get things moving along before I dive into the final few chapters. The story is coming to a close. I won't make an estimate on how many chapters are left because that always seems to create writers block in my head. And we don't want that, now do we? Enjoy!

**Chapter 11: Sleepless**

The two analysts stand in the early morning light, leaning heavily against the porch railing. The picture sits between the two of them, glossy surface almost mocking them for not seeing the evidence sooner.

"This really was here the entire time?"

Ria props her chin on her hands before replying to Spencer. "Unfortunately, it was. What makes me feel better was that it wasn't until very recently that we discerned that there are indeed other victims. And burying them near the kill site is highly unusual, if I understand the data right."

At the word data, Spencer's eyes light up a bit, losing the dulled, sleep deprived look they have held for the last hour. "Indeed. The probability of an unsub burying victims near the kill site is rather low. I'd spit out actually numbers, but its too early for that."

"I agree," Ria says with a large yawn. "I vote we put on a pot of coffee, and not that crappy stuff Mrs. Kindstrand tries to make."

"Hear, hear. Some police stations have had better stuff; and they're notorious for bad coffee."

Ria laughs. "You travel too much. Let me guess – you rate the quality of a police station by the variety of available snacks and quality of coffee."

Spencer shifts his gaze, getting a little red in the cheeks. "…do not," he says childishly.

"HA! So Penny was right."

He snaps his head back to look at Ria. "Garcia said what?"

"She told me that you, as a team, rate your visit by the quality of the coffee you receive."

Spencer busies himself with cleaning up the evidence folders before answering. "It is one of the few ways that we can separate ourselves from the severity of the crimes that we see. Why do you think we're so close-knit? We need to have those very human connections in order to not go crazy or fall to pieces."

Walking into the kitchen, Ria rifles through the cabinets trying to find a different variety of coffee. "I'm not saying that you guys can't be human. I just find it amusing." Packages crinkle and tins clank until Ria finally yells out in triumph. "AH HA! I present to you, Spencer Reid, REAL coffee!"

Following Ria's humorous tone, he chimes in, "Praise God! Quickly madam, before our subterfuge is found out!"

Giggling like schoolchildren, Ria and Spencer begin brewing the first pot of coffee. As the aroma of fresh brewing coffee wafts throughout the house, the other team members slowly wander down into the kitchen.

"Is that…coffee… I smell?"

Filling a mug, Spencer presents it to Morgan. "Why yes, good sir. It is indeed the coffee you seek this fine morning."

"Why the hell are you so chipper?"

"Sleep deprivation."

The rest of the team groans into their coffee mugs. A sleep deprived Reid only means one thing: insanity. All of the team members are still in their pajamas, except Hotch who is all buttoned up in his suit as per usual.

From across the kitchen island, Hotch looks directly at Ria. "Do you have anything for me this morning?"

Stifling a yawn, Ria straightens up and looks at Hotch. "In fact I do. Last night, with the help of Reid, we were able to discover some rather important information about our current situation. Firstly, we have a positive ID on out Water vic. She's Jezzica Vaughn, age 28 and worked at the Clinique counter at Macy's. Penny is still trying to get an ID on the Fire vic. Also, we have determined that the other bodies are buried near the ritual site." She motions for Spencer to bring the picture forward. "This is one of the pictures that JJ had taken the other day. If you look at the edge of the picture, just where the path drops off, you can see mounds in the forest. Those are almost certainly burial mounds of the previous two victims. Does that satisfy you, sir?"

Hotch stares at Ria. "You discovered all of this last night?"

"I'm a night owl sir. I do my best thinking at night."

Before a verbal brawl could break out, Gideon turns to Ria. "Excellent work. If Garcia went to bed last night, give her a wake up call and tell her to get moving on that ID for Fire. We need to start looking into our victimology. Prentiss, Morgan, you two are on victimology. Keep in close contact with Garcia. Reid and Ria, you two are coming with me to those burial mounds."

An hour later, after numerous fights over showers and lack of hot water, the team rolls out onto the streets of Salem with a mission. Armed with more information than they had previously, they feel confident that their investigation is moving in the proper direction.


	12. Dynamic

**Chapter 12: Dynamic**

Sheer will keeps Ria and Spencer awake for the day.

Gideon mans the wheel of the SUV as the two younger agents lounge in the back seat, trying to stay awake. Ria, dressed causally in a pair of jeans, worn out Converse, and zip up green cardigan over a white tank top, has her legs tossed across Reid's lap. Reid, in rumpled khakis, t-shirt and pullover sweater, does not even bother to throw her off. They do not sleep during the short car ride. Instead, they maintain the glazed, zombie like visage of two young people who have yet to properly sleep.

Gideon, Ria, and Spencer meet up with Ranger Mark Keyes at the bottom of the footpath. He stands waiting with a team to excavate the possible burial mounds. As they get out of the SUV, Ria can feel Mark's eyes on her.

"What, no heels and skimpy skirt today?" he jeers at her.

With a roll of her eyes, Ria responds with a polite, "Go to hell," accompanied with a punch to the face that drops Mark to the ground.

"Hey! That's assaulting an officer!"

"Not when she was provoked," Reid responds. "Besides," he adds with a wry smirk, "as FBI she outranks you."

"All right, enough." Gideon puts a restraining hand on Ria and Spencer. "We have a crime scene to examine."

The two young FBI agents stalk their way up the path, murmuring to each other creative ways they might be able to dispatch the annoying park ranger without anyone being any wiser. Gideon keeps pace, keeping himself in between the young agents and the hormone driven park ranger. He too was thinking of interesting ways to end the existence of the skirt chasing ranger. Mark, on the other hand, was desperately trying to make his nose stop bleeding. "Damn FBI woman," he mutters under his breath.

Just before the path entrance to the ringstones, the small party turns off the path and picks their way through the underbrush. After a few dozen feet, they come upon the mounds. Shovels are dispensed among those there, and each is assigned a mound. Explicit directions are given to make sure that each person excavating a mound documents every thing they do.

Unearthing buried bodies almost seems slightly sacrilegious to Ria. On the other hand, they will provide valuable clues to the current case. As she digs into the earth with her shovel, she carefully scans her mound and the surrounding area for possible ritual items.

"It seems like this unsub isn't as into the ritual as I originally thought."

Gideon looks up from his work. "Why do you say that?"

"These mounds and surrounding area lack any sort of ritual items; tokens to the dead, personal affects of the dead, those sorts of things."

Reid looks carefully at his mound, deep in thought. "Perhaps, then, that the ritual is only a ruse up until a certain point. After which, the unsub experiences the release they are looking for and devolve into your 'average' killer." He climbs out of the hole he has dug so far and begins to pace. "The ritual must be a ruse. It's her way of luring her victims out to these woods. Religious fanatic?"

"Unlikely," Ria says. "A religious fanatic of any denomination would carry out all of the ritual procedures, not stop halfway through."

In atypical Gideon fashion, he kicks a nearby tree in frustration. The young sapling quivers in shock at the abuse then settles. "I wish we knew more about these victims," he mutters.

As if on cue, Ria's cell phone rings merrily. "It's Penny." Ria turns away to hold a quick, furtive conversation with her sister. "Thanks hun," she says before hanging up. Ria turns towards Gideon and Reid. "Riddle me this: what do a Clinique counter girl and a hair dresser have in common?"

Gideon and Reid look at Ria, perplexed. Reid's mind runs through numerous possibilities, but none of them seem reasonable. Gideon, on the other hand merely raises an eyebrow.

"Why don't you pose that riddle to Morgan and Emily? They are the ones working victimology."

Ria's face cracks into a bright smile. "Penny's already told them and they're baffled. I, on the other hand, have an idea."

"Would you care to share?" Reid prompts.

She smiles coyly at him. "I'm going to wait to see if we find anything in these mounds."

"That's impeding an investigation," Mark calls from the sidelines.

"My game. We play by my rules."

Gideon shakes his head. Waiting an extra hour would not hurt them in the long run. There are cops all over the park, so the unsub could not possibly come out to do another murder. "Keep digging," is his only command to his agents.

A short while later, Reid looks up from his hole. "Um, guys. You might wanna come check this out."

Ria and Gideon are quickly at Reid's side. There, at the bottom of the hole, right beside Reid's left shoe is a hand. They quickly abandon the hole and let the forensic scientists do their work. Gideon is on the phone with the rest of the team telling them that they have confirmed the presence of bodies at the crime scene.

"So, tell me Joker," Reid says to Ria with a smirk. "What do a Clinique counter girl and a hair dresser have in common?"

"They're both nobodies. They get passed by every day and no one really notices them. They provide a service to a customer and once that service is done, that's when the interaction stops."

Reid looks thoughtful for a moment. "Women who feel ignored…that's quite a large population."

"Which equals quite a large pool of possible victims."

"Have you shared this enlightenment with Morgan and Emily?"

Ria shrugs. "I was going to let them sweat it out a little longer, but I'm sure Hotch won't like it. Besides, I'll start sleeping better once this case is over." Lazily, she pulls out her cell and dials Morgan to tell him the news. Soon afterwards, she is on the phone with her sister, asking if Penny had found any other connections between the two women.

"So far sugar, I've got nil. Got any suggestions?"

Reid, who overhears the conversation, pipes in. "Check recent activity. We're going to be looking at things that are very recent in the lives of these women. There has to be something."

Gideon, who had been overseeing the excavation of the burial mounds, steps aside to watch his two youngest agents at work. They make quite the dynamic duo in his eyes. Two brilliant minds tuned to one goal can be quite a deadly combination. Watching them work is like a finely choreographed dance with so many intricacies that a mere observer would be unable to detect. Their body language suggests a comfort level that is absurd to think of, given that they have only known each other for a short period of time.

"Hey, what about this munchkins," Penny's voice says over the cell connection. "Both women recently saw a therapist named Esme Dodge. Her website says that she 'specializes in the empowerment of marginalized women through phenomenal life changing events.' How's that for a grade A psychopath?"

Ria and Reid share equally brilliant smiles of success.

"Excellent!" Reid cries. "Dig up everything you can find about this Esme Dodge. We need to see if we can find a trigger for her new behavior. Send everything you can over to the station. I want as many pieces of paper as you can get me to work with. I need data!"

A sly, cunning smile creeps across Ria's face. "I think its time I became a marginalized woman looking for empowerment."

Reid looks at Ria carefully. He runs a hand through his wayward mop before speaking. "You know, if you weren't so brilliant, you'd scare the shit out of me."

Brushing wisps of hair out of her eyes, Ria smiles warmly up at Reid. "Spence, this is probably going to come out sounding horrible, but I'm going to say it anyways." She wrings her hands nervously. "I…I just wanted to say thanks for treating me like a real human being with a brain. When most people see stripper on my resume they automatically think I'm dumb as a rock."

Reid gapes at the young woman standing next to him. "Dumb?" he squeaks. "You're anything but! You have perhaps one of the most beautiful minds I have ever encountered."

Ria smiles shyly. On an impulse, she takes Reid by the hand and squeezes it gently. "You're really sweet Spence," she says softly. The soft moment is only minute before Ria slips back into her confident self. "C'mon. Let's see if we can pin this crazy."


	13. Playing Dress Up

**A/N: **Yes, I promise that I'm not dead. And I apologize for making you wait so long for this update. Life got crazy. However, I think things have finally calmed down to a point where I can focus on fun things again, like writing. I do hope you enjoy this pitifully short update. But I do appreciate the reviews and adds people have been giving me! Thanks!

**Chapter 13: Playing Dress Up**

Back at the bed and breakfast, Ria is beginning her project of transformation. Every detail must be perfect in order for the ruse to be successful. She carefully plans a back-story, her reasons as to why she is visiting the infamous Ms. Dodge, and her wardrobe. The wardrobe is a key component of getting into character. The unsub must, at first sight, get the impression that Ria's character can be another victim.

In the bathroom, Ria rinses her hair multiple times with tea in order to dull the bright shine of her fiery red hair. Her usual mask of makeup is removed and replaced with a quick flick of clear mascara and chapstick. She puts on an old pair of wire rimmed glasses. In the full length mirror, she makes some final adjustments to her clothing. The ill-fitting pants (stolen from Spencer), white blouse (stolen from Emily) and blue cardigan (stolen from JJ) present the perfect image of an overlooked young woman.

Turning to JJ, Ria asks, "Well…?"

"It's perfect. Now, who are you and what's your story?"

"My name is Becky Stone. I recently moved from New Orleans in the hopes of making something better of myself." As she tells JJ the back story of Becky Stone, Ria allows a little bit of the New Orleans twang color her speech.

JJ nods in approval. "You should be able to pull this off brilliantly. Just don't get too creative with the lies, otherwise the unsub won't believe you. Just stick to basic facts and don't get too curious. If we're lucky, we can take her alive and do the majority of questioning while she's in custody."

The two women walk down to the parlor where the rest of the team waits to discuss the final logistics.

"May I present Becky Stone," JJ announces to the team.

Nearly every face holds the same shock at Ria's transformation. They can barely tell it is the same woman they have been working with for three days now.

Hotch nods his approval at Ria. "Alright everyone, here's how things are going to work. Morgan, Gideon, and myself along with police forces will be stationed near the ritual site to await the arrival of Ria and the unsub. JJ is our liaison with the police department and rangers. We must be as invisible as possible in order to not arouse suspicion. Reid and Emily will tail Ria in order to keep track of her movements. Once she has left the office, they will alert us so we can be ready for them. It is important that we allow the unsub to begin her ritual so that she feels secure that she will not be bothered. At the signal, we will move in to secure the unsub. Any questions?"

The team merely nods their heads in understanding. They are all dressed in muted colors in order to blend in with the surroundings as much as possible. They know they are about to play a dangerous game. Their only hope is that they can outsmart the unsub and not risk Ria's life any more than necessary.

As they begin to move out, Ria cracks a grin and chirps, "Showtime everyone!"

The bus deposits Ria at a bus stop two blocks away from the office building that holds Esme Dodge. As she walks towards the building, she makes sure that she is completely in character. The people walking on the street barely notice her, and she takes that as a positive sign that her disguise is working. Before entering the building, Ria carefully notes that the back of the building abuts the forest.

Upon walking into the office suite of Dr. Esme Dodge, Ria stands in front of the receptionist's desk for a few moments before she notices her.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist yawns when she finally notices Ria.

"Um….yes. I'm Becky Stone. I have an appointment with Dr. Dodge."

The receptionist glances at the timetable in front of her. "Have a seat. I'll let her know you're here." She turns in her chair to pick up the phone.

Ria settles into the uncomfortable waiting room chairs and idly glances around. The moment of truth would soon be upon her.

"Miss? Dr. Dodge will see you now."

A side door cracks open slightly, signifying that was the door to enter. As she walks through the door, Ria is struck by the sight of the woman seated on the other side of the desk. She is dressed in a smart pantsuit with a vibrant green blouse and gold jewelry. Her hair is an ordinary brown which has been teased into soft curls. The overall look is someone who is trying much too hard to impress someone. Beneath the costume, Ria can see the ordinary woman Dr. Dodge used to be.

"Welcome, Miss Stone. Please, have a seat." She gestures to an overstuffed leather chair in front of her desk. "Let us get right to the matter. Why have you come to visit me today?"

"I was hoping you could help me. I recently moved here from New Orleans because I wasn't having any luck down there. I had thought moving away and starting over would make me a new woman. But, I'm having the same problems I was having while living in New Orleans. No one notices me, and I'm stuck in a dead end job as a counter clerk at a drycleaners."

Esme Dodge's face was a study of utmost sympathy. "I understand. Yours is not an uncommon story. It is actually quite similar to my own. I feel that I might be able to help you." She pauses for a moment, before continuing on. "I propose we take a brief walk through the forest. Its always lovely this time of year, and I think it will help us have a meaningful conversation."

Ria nods in agreement. "I do enjoy walking." She notes with invisible curiosity the small leather briefcase Esme has picked up.

"I'm just going to bring my briefcase so I can write down anything we might speak of for reference in future sessions. Just follow me."

The two women, both with hidden agendas, exit the back of the building towards the forest in the most amiable of conversations. They shared trivial information, but somehow it was vital to the process. For a few moments, Ria panicked that Reid and Emily wouldn't be able to track her. Her fears were allayed when the logical part of her brain told her that Reid would most certainly notice that the back of the building joined with the forest.

As they walked the path, Esme was talking about ancient feminine rituals that were carried out in secret in order to better the female population of a tribe. The more Esme spoke, the more Ria secretly screamed at the inaccuracy of everything she was saying. Becky, on the other hand, was eating it hook, line, and sinker. That was the point, after all.

"Here we are," Esme says as they enter the clearing with the ring stones.

"Wow…they really are real!"

"Of course. And within this ring, you shall find your female power to transform your life. Step into the ring, and lie down on the large stone there."

Ria did as she was told, and silent prayed that the team was watching and knew what they were doing. Lying on the altar stone, she asks, "Am I doing it right?"

"Perfectly. Lie still. Can you feel the ancient power?" Silently, Esme placed the leather briefcase on the ground by the altar stone. Careful not to alert her patient to the danger, she withdraws a sharp blade. "Drink in the ancient feminine energy.

Esme drew the blade high overhead, out of sight of her unknowing victim. However, the glint of the blade in the sunlight was just the signal the BAU team needed to move in. Morgan comes tearing out of the underbrush and runs headlong at Esme. Hearing the crash, she whirled about and flew at Ria, who was fleeing from the ringstones. The blade cut down, and placed a gash along Ria's arm. With a cry, she fell to the ground.

Morgan shifted his momentum slightly, and tackles Esme to the ground with a grunt. The rest of the team emerges to secure the site. Gideon kneels beside Ria, pressing a handkerchief to her bleeding wound. Morgan and the cops wrestle Esme into cuffs, her screaming like a banshee the whole time.

"Well done," Gideon says to Ria as the paramedics look her over. "It will be interesting to see what she says under interrogation later."

Ria could only nod in agreement. There were a number of things that she dearly hoped she would be able to say to Esme Dodge. More pressing, however, is her need to shower and get back to being herself.


End file.
